Automatic mail-bag catcher and deliverer.



W. DAVIS.

AUTOMATIC MAIL BA'G CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

APPLICATION FIL'ED APR. 2. I915.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.-

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Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 1

WILLIAM DAVIS, 01 PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

A'[J".l?O1lL[A'I.IC MAIL-litAG CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

both caught and delivered simultaneously, 1

or such bags or sacks may be either caught or delivered withoutv a corresponding delivery or catching of other bags.

The objects of my invention are to provide an apparatus which occupies a minimum space, which, when out of use, does not project materially. beyond'the body of the car, which may be set for operation from the interior of the car, without the necessity of the operator projecting his arms or body beyond the" side of the car,- and which, after operation, may be brought to its inoperative position and thecaught bag drawn into'the car without exposure of the operator, and which shall so operate'that the bag for delivery shall be delivered at substantially the same point as the bag caught.

Other objects of my invention will a'ppear in connection with the mechanism here in described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the mail bag catcher and deliverer when in inoperative position, attached to the door opening of a railway coach, and with a portion of the side of said coach broken away, showing'the interior setting mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the catcher and deliverer in operative position, projecting beyond the side of the car andcarrying a mail bag to be delivered. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line,'a a of Fig. 2, showing the construction of the operating block mechanism and of the releasing device. Fig.4 is a sectional view on the line b b of Fig. 2, showing further details of the operating block and releasing device. F ig.'5 is a sectional view on the line a c of Fig. 2, showing the method of mounting the releasing lever on the device, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line- (I d of Fig. 2, showing the construction of the crabs or bag locking lugs and the 's'ocketed swinging bar which carries them.

Specification of Iietters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1 1, 1916.

Application filed April 2, 1915. Serial No. 18,860.

Similar reference letters and numerals indicate similar parts. Referring to the drawings, 1 is the body or base piece of my device,a single wrought or cast piece carrying the operating mechanism, and comprising the bar 2, extension spindles 3, the catching arm 4, the delivery arm 5, with extensions 6,-prol0ngations 7 and studs '8, onwhi'ch the mail sack rings are hung. The sack 9, is shown in position for delivery in Fig. 2. The arm 2 is provided'with an elbow or extension v1O, having a split end'opening 11', for attachment, by the pin 12, of thethree member U-shape lift ing bar 13, which may be inone piece or as shown in Fig. l, in three parts rigidly secured together. The rear member 14 of the lifting bar, is brought into the mail car through the cylindrical casing 15, set in the floor of the car, as shown in Fig. 1. The lifting mechanism within thecar consists of the standard 16, rigidly'secured to the floor, of the car and provided with ratchet teeth 17, at its upper end, as shown. Secured .to-

t he standard 16, by the pivot pin 18, is the llft ng lever 19, connected with the U shaped lifting bar by the pin 20. Mounted on the lever 19, through the split opening 21, by,

the pin 22, is the holding arm 23, adapted to engage in the ratchet teeth on the standard and connected therewith by any suitable spring connection, as 24. The holding arm 23 is released fromengagement with rod 27, attached to the holding arm bythe 7 pin 28. v V The body or base piece, 1, is attached-to the door opening of the mail car by the spindles 3, 3, set in sockets or keepers, 29,

bolted to the sides of the car bythe bolts 30, 30. On the base piece, 1, is disposed the operating'mechanism, all of which is actuated by the sliding block 31, having grooved.

sides (shown in Fig. 4) mounted between the supporting arm 2 and the catching arm 4' of the base piece, and operating on the projecting tongues 32, 32, of the arms of the base piece. On the arm. 2,bythe pivot 33, is mounted the lever 3.4, its free or outer I end formed into a hook, as shown, adapted connectingrod, 35, attached to the lever 34 by the pin 36, and to sliding block by the pin 37, mounted thereon. Mounted on the delivery arm 5 of the base piece by the pivot pin 38 is the lever 39, its inner end attached by the pin 10 to the curved connecting rod 41, connected with the pin37 on'the' sliding block 31. The outer end of the lever 39 is connected by the pin 12 to the rotating bar -13, and Works in a curved groove in said bar as shownin Fig. ('3. The rotating bar 13, ,is connected at its opposite extremities by the pins and 4-5 to the swinging crabs or claws 46 and 47, mounted on the extension arms 6 of the base piece 1 by the pivot pins 48 and 19. -Andthe said claws, are provided with closing lugs or stops, 50, operating on pins 51 and adapted to be closed against the studs 8 to prevent the escape of the mail sack rings until the releasing device is actuated.

Pivoted to the under or inner surface of the base piece 1, soas to permit free operation from the interior of the car when the base piece is lowered into inoperative position, by the pivot pin 52, is the bag releasing lever 53, to which is attached by the pin 54 the driving bar 55, the free end of which is engaged in a socketed piece 56, rigidly secured to the sliding block 31, by the pin 37. The screw pin 54:, in Fig. 3, passes through the driving bar 55 and the releasing lever 53, and its upper end engages in a groove 57 in the under surface of the arm 2, adapted to limit the movement of the releasing lever when the sliding block is actuated and the said lever driven back into operative position, as shown in Fig. 1. The sliding block 31 is provided with a curved seat between the arms 58 and 59, extending respectively along the inner side of the catching arm 1 and the supporting arm 2 of the body piece, the arm 58 fitting into a recess 60 in the catching arm a, so as to present a continuously smooth surface for catching the mail bag.

In operation, the device is lowered into inoperative position in a vertical plane before the car opening and the releasing lever 53 is operated, driving the sliding block 31 forward, opening the retaining lever 3a and moving the claws 46 and 47 back upon the studs 8, in the position shown in Fig. 2. The end rings of the mail bag are then hung on the studs 8 and the closing lugs 50 are turned down across the inner faces of the said studs, so as to prevent the escape of the mail bag rings when the car is in motion. The device is then lifted into the horizontal plane in operative position by depressing the outward from the standard in the direction of the track to hold the mail bag by its upper and lower rings in vertical position, such supporting standard or post being a form commonly used and the'said post is provided with a basket or receptacle of wire or other material at the foot of the standard to re ceive the bag to be delivered. As the mail car approaches the standard, the catching arm 4: carries the bag to be caught against the curved seat of the sliding block 31, which, by the impact, is driven back, the retaining lever 3 1 operating to secure the caught bag, which is thus swept from the supporting arms of the standard and simultaneously, the releasing lever 39 is operated from the sliding block, rotating; the revolv ing bar 13 and moving the claws inwardly in relation to the extension arms 6 of the delivering arm 5, thus sweeping the rings of the bag to be delivered from the studs 8. which bag falls into the basket or receptacle at the base of the standard. 7,

When the bag is to be delivered only, without a corresponding bag to be caught the bag carrying standard is provided with a padded bar hung upon the supporting arms, which actuates the sliding block and releases the bag to be delivered.

After a bag has been caught, the device is lowered into inoperative position by releas ing the holding arm 23 through the lever 25, permitting the spindles 3 to revolve in their sockets 30 and the device to fall into a perpendicular position. The releasing lever 53 is. then operated to lift the retaining hook 3t and the caught bag is drawn into the mail car, while the device is again ready to receive a bag for delivery.

It is apparent that the operation of my device does not require the operator to at any time expose himself. beyond the body of the mail car, or to be in proximity to the device at the time of its operation, thus assuring the protection and safety of the operator. Moreover, the bag to be caught is subjected to a minimum of wear, the sliding block 31 acting as an elastic resistance to the bag to reduce the force of the impact and the said sliding block and its. connected sets of levers serving as a shock absorber to reduce the blow on the whole mechanism. thus preventing wear on both the mechanism and the mail car. The bag to be delivered being hung by both end rings, is carried with a minimum of oscillation and being carried with its long diameter parallel to the car, presents a minimum surface to air resistance, which is an important advantage when the device is used on trains traveling at high speed. Moreover, the action of the mechanism being instantaneous, the bag to be delivered is dropped atrsubstantially the pomt where the caught bag actuates the mechanism.i

rotatably mounted bag Having described my invention, I claim- 1. Ina mailbag catcher and deliverer, the combination of abase piece, comprising supporting, catching and delivering arms, with a sliding block in operative connection therewith, to receive the impact of the caught bag, and levers mounted on said base piece and operated positively by said sliding block to retain the caught bag against the catching arm, and to release and discharge from the delivery arm the bag to be delivered.

2. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, the combination of a' base piece comprising supporting, catching and delivering arms, with a sliding block in operative connection therewith to receive the impact of the caught bag, and levers mounted on said base piece and operated positively by said sliding block to simultaneously retain the caught bag and to discharge the bag to be delivered, means for rotatably mounting the said supporting arm across the door opening of the car, for rotating the mail bag catcher and deliverer from a vertical to a horizontal plane, and maintaining the same in said horizontal plane.-

3. In a mail bag catcher and-deliverer, the combinationof a base piece, comprising supporting, catching and delivering arms, of levers mounted thereon to simultaneously retain the caught bag and discharge the bag for delivery when operated by a sliding block connected with said base piece, and a lifting and holding device, rigidly secured to the floor of the mail car, and means in connection therewith to lift and maintain the mail bag catcher and deliverer from an inoperative vertical position to an operative horizontal position.

' 4:. In a mailbag catcher and deliverer,

the combination of the catching and delivering device, rotatably mounted across the door opening of a mail car, of a standard within the body of the car, a lever mounted thereon, connecting rods leading from said lever, through the floor of said car to the deliverer and catcher, and a holding arm mounted on said lever, adapted to maintain the mail bag catcher and deliverer in a raised horizontal position, by engagement with said standard.

5. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, the combination of the catching and delivering device, rotatably mounted across the door opening of the mail car, of a standard within the body of the car, a'lever mounted thereon, connecting rods leading from said lever, through the floor of said car to the rotatably mounted bag deliverer and catcher, and a holding arm mounted on said lever, adapted to maintain the mail bag catcher and deliverer in a raised horizontal position, by engagement with said standard, and a spring connection between the saidstandard and holding arm, and areleasing device adapted to release the said holding arm from engagement with the standard, to permit the lowering of the mail bag catcher and deliverer.

6. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, the'combination of a basepiece, comprising supporting, catching and delivering arms, of a sliding block operating between the said supporting and catching arms, a'lever mounted on the supporting arm and actuated from the sliding block to retain the caught bag, a lever mounted on the delivery arm and actuating claws to withdraw the rings of the bag to be delivered from the delivery arm for releasing said bag.

7. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, rotatably mounted across the door'opening of a mail car, the combination of a base piece having a catching arm, a sliding block to receive the impact of the caught bag, retaining mechanism and a delivery arm, with extensions at its outer extremity, prolongations on said extension and studs upon said prolongations for carrying the rings of the bag to be delivered, of swinging claws v andlocking devices, adapted to prevent the displacement of the said bag rings and actuating mechanism to operate the said claws and releasethe bag rings and deliver the bag, substantially as described.

8. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, I

rotatably mounted across the door opening of a car, the combination of a base piece having a delivery arm, lateral extensions therefrom, provided with studs for carrying the rings of the bag to be delivered, locking and supporting arm of said base piece, substantially as described. 7

9. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, rotatably mounted across the door opening of a car, the combination of a base piece having supporting, catching and delivering arms, retaining and delivering mechanism mounted thereon, and a sliding block between said catching and supporting arms simultaneously actuating said retaining and delivering mechanism, of a lever mounted on said base piece adapted to operate a driving bar connected with said sliding blocl; to return the same to operative position, substantially as described.

10. In a mail bag catcher and deliverer, rotatably mounted across thedoor opening of a car, the combination of a base piece, comprising supporting, catching and delivering e car a m al-1 0 nnect th said H s 10 ing and lowering device with the rotating base piece of the bag catcher and deliverer, substantially as described.

W ILLIAM DAVIS.

Witnesses: J. T. MOLEAN,

Gr. HERBERT JENKINS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D 0. 

